Chap. I. George Ansok, £/| ; 
. Sum of Money into the Kingdom, and has (hewn us the Way and if the bringing home the Ship from thence, with a 
by which we may bring more. , Company compofed of fo many different Nations, in the 
Another Squadron may meet with the Acapulco Ship in Midft of a French W ar, and without the leaft Affiftance 
the South Seas, or with the Lima Ship, in her Paffage to from home, fwell the Whole into a kind off Miracle; 
Acapulco : There wants only Care, Diligence, and an ex- What does all this prove ? Why, Since all this was, under 
perienced Commander, to make a Part of the Expences of God, intirely owing to the Prudence, Moderation, and 
the War come this Way out of our Enemies Pockets ; for, wife Conduct, of the commanding Officer, it certainly 
as to the Spirit and Courage of the Englifh Seamen, they proves, that, if a right Choice be made of Commanders, 
are as great as ever they were, and there wants nothing there are no Difficulties that may not be overcome; and,, 
but Actions, that may be attended with proper Encou- therefore, this Voyage ought not to difcourage us at all. 
ragement, to make this evident to the whole World. The For, I prefume, that, with the Help of Rear-Admiral 
prefent War was undertaken for the fake of our Trade ; Anfon' s Example, there are many Officers who would un~ 
and our Fate, in the prefent War, I mean our Fate at Sea, dertake and execute fuch an Expedition, to the Honour of 
will determine the Fate of our Trade. We have been their Country, and to the Advantage of thofe who em- 
extremely fortunate in making Prizes, both from the French ployed them, fuppofing them to be employed by private 
hand Spaniards, in the North Seas : There wants nothing to Perfons. This is the Ufe, the right Ufe, that might be 
complete our good Fortune, but to be as fuccefsful in the made of this Expedition ; an Expedition difficult, dan- 
South. gerous, and, in a manner, impracticable, confidered in 
Another Expedition might be, probably would be, one Light •, but an Expedition equally glorious and fuc- 
attended with fewer Difficulties ; at leaft, it is certain, that cefsful, when confidered in another : An Expedition, that 
it might be undertaken at a much lefs Expence ; and then, has demonftrated, to the whole World, that a Train of 
befide all the Advantages refulting. to (uch private Perfons unforefeen and difaftrous Accidents may be remedied, and 
as become Proprietors, there would this ineftimable Ad- even turned to Advantage, by an honeft, fkilful, brave, 
vantage accrue to the Public, that we fhould once more have experienced, and well-meaning Officer : An Expedition, 
a Number of able Mariners, well acquainted with the Na- which fhews, that there are no Hazards, no Difficulties, 
vigation of the South Seas, which we never can have by no Diftreffes, capable of depreffing the Courage of Englifh 
any other Means. Seamen, under a proper Command : An Expedition, that 
Heretofore the whole Trade of Europe was in the makes it evident, that Difcontent, Sedition, .and Mutiny, 
Hands of the Maritime Powers ; but, at prefent, not do not arife from the reftlefs Tempers, intradable Difpo- 
only the French , but many other Nations, are putting in for fitions, and unruly Behaviour, of Englifh Sailors, but purely 
a Share, as appears by the great Number of European Ships from the want of Prudence, right Management, and, in 
that Rear-Admiral Anfon met with in the Ports of Macao fhort, from want of Experience and Capacity in fuch as are 
and Canton ; which is a Circumftance that deferves to be intruded with the Command of them: An Expedition, in 
attentively confidered. This therefore is a Time, if ever a Word, that puts it beyond all Doubt, that the Britifh 
there was a- Time, that we ought to exert ourfelves, and Nation is, at this Day, capable of undertaking as great 
endeavour to ftrike out fome new Branch of Commerce, into Things, and of performing them as fuccefsfulfy as ever 
which our Neighbours cannot fo readily fall. Hiftory their Anceftors did; and, confequently, an Expedition 
affords us no Inftance of a Maritime Power that remained that muft convince us, and not us only, but all Europe y 
long at a Stay. If we do not go forward, we muft neceff that if our maritime Force be not employed in Under- 
farily go backward; and, as we are rivaled in almoft takings of the moft important Nature, it is not owing to 
every known Branch of Commerce, except that to our own the Degeneracy of our Seamen, not to be imputed to our 
Plantations, it is not our Intereft: only, but abfolutely ne- want of able or daring Commanders, but to fome other 
ceffary to our Safety, to fupport and extend thefe ; and, Caufe, which it is not my Bufinefs, which, indeed, fur- 
iff it be poffible, open fome new Chanel, both for the paffes my Abilities, to find out. 
Benefit of this Country, and of our Plantations ; which But the Nature of my Subjebt, the Thread of this Pli- 
never can be done, if we do not encourage long Voyages, ftory of Circum-navigators, the Principles upon, which 
and the perfecting ourfelves in every kind of Navi- I have all along proceeded, rendered it neceffary for me to 
gation. give an Account of this Expedition, and fuch an Account 
But I would not be underftood to leffen at all the Mi- as the Reader has received : In which, with the greateft: 
feries and Misfortunes of fuch as were employed in this Sincerity, and with the ftridteft Regard to Truth, I can 
Voyage : The contrary, I think, indeed, will appear from aver, that I have cenfured without Prejudice, and com- 
the Hiftory I have given of it. All I endeavour, all I mended from no other Motive than the Defire of doing 
aim at, is, to convince the Reader, that the Difficulties Juftice; have delivered all Things, as they appeared to me, 
and Difcouragements met with in this Voyage, are not and as I think they ought to appear to Pofterity, with- 
fufficient to ground a decifive Opinion by the Few, in Op- out Favour or Affebtion, and without the leaft Influence, 
pofttion to the Sentiments of the Many, that all Attempts either of Hope, or of Fear. This I think neceffary to fay, 
on this Side fhould be abandoned ; and I really think, both for my own Satisfaction, and for the Information of 
that the putting the Difficulties and Difcouragements of the impartial Reader ; the only Perfon that I lhall ever 
the Centurion's Company in the ftrongeft Light, will ferve ftudy to pleafe. 
my Purpofe much better then leffening or extenuating 40. We are now at the Clofe of this Chapter, in which 
them. we have completed that Hiftory which we propofed as the 
For if, after being ruined by Storms, Difeafes, and Subject thereof, and to which we gave the Preference, as 
Hardfhips, they landed, rather Skeletons than Men, on it is general, and relates to the whole World ; and, for 
the Eland of Juan Fernandez ; if, after their long Cruize the fame Reafon, the remaining Chapters of this Boole 
in the South Seas, their Diftreffes came to be as great refer to the Heads next in Importance ; viz. the Difco- 
when they took Shelter in the Ifland of Elman ; if the very. Settlement, and Commerce, of the Eafi and IFefl 
lying at Macao was attended with many Inconveniences ; Indies. It is true, that all the Circum-navigators did not 
if the Taking the Spanifh Galleon be a Thing almoft in- propofe, and that feveral of them made no Difcoveries ; 
credible, confidering the fmall Number of Men, and the but, notwith (landing this, all their Voyages are of great. 
Condition they were in, that attacked her in the Centurion ; though not of equal Importance, down to the very laft ; 
if the Difficulties they afterwards met with in the River of for, by comparing Magellan's? which was the firft, with 
Canton , and the Hazard run by the Commodore in vifiting Mr, Anfon' s, we fhall find them differ in many relpedls, 
the Viceroy, and thereby putting himfelf into the Hands efpecially in the Conclufion, that of Mr , Anfon' s being by 
of fuch a People as the Chinefe? who could not butbedif- far the longed of the two. Some of them again took 
pleafed with his Proceedings, are Circumftances that ftill quite a different Route : As for Inftance, Le Maire and 
aggravate the Matter ; if fo perilous a Navigation as that Roggewein , who never ran at all into the higher Latitudes, 
from Canton through the Streights of Sunda ? and thence but failed direbtly through the South Seas to the Coaft of 
to the Cape of Good Elope , with little or no Refreshment, New Guiney , and thence to the Ifland of Java? which is a 
with a Crew that wanted it fo much, is ftill more amazing ; much fhorter Courfe than that from California to the Phi- 
Numb. 25. 5 A Uppines; 
I 
